Best Fits for Knowshon Moreno If the Broncos Let Him Walk After Super Bowl

It's certainly not unheard of for a player to have a career season in a contract year.

Still, the transformation of Knowshon Moreno from first-round bust to 1,500-yard tailback in 2013 was remarkable.

Knowshon Moreno 2013

Att.

Yards

Avg.

TD

Rec.

Yards

TD

PFF Rank

241

1,038*

4.3*

10*

60*

548*

3*

15th*

* Career High

It also leaves the Denver Broncos in a bit of a predicament where Moreno is concerned, but if the AFC champs can't afford to keep the 26-year-old, there is no shortage of teams who could use his services.

After topping 1,000 yards on the ground for the first time in his career and chipping in 60 catches, Moreno is the cream of the free agent crop at running back this year.

Top Free Agent Running Backs

Player

Age

Notes

Knowshon Moreno

26

Career-high 1,586 total yards in 2013

Ben Tate

25

Career-high 181 carries in 2013 (4.3 YPC)

Andre Brown

27

Missed 8 games in 2013 (broken leg)

Darren McFadden

26

3.3 YPC each of the past two seasons

Maurice Jones-Drew

28

Hasn't gained 1,000 rushing yards since 2011

All players listed are unrestricted free agents

Unfortunately, that may have put the fifth-year pro out of Denver's price range, especially after the Broncos drafted Montee Ball a year ago.

Assuming that the Falcons are indeed interested, they won't be alone. Whether or not that interest is justified given Moreno's "one-hit wonder" status is a topic for another day, but there's no denying that Moreno's phone will ring.

Given their need for a running back and the cap space to sign one, here are three clubs who should pick up the phone.

Cleveland Browns

Let's see, how to put this accurately without being cruel.

If you turned on every Dyson vacuum on the face of the earth simultaneously, their combined efforts wouldn't suck as bad as the Cleveland run game in 2013.

Cleveland Browns Running Backs 2013

Player

Att.

Yards

Avg.

TD

Willis McGahee

138

377

2.7

2

Chris Ogbonnaya

49

240

4.9

0

Edwin Baker

43

171

4.0

2

Trent Richardson

31

105

3.4

0

Per Browns' Website

After trading Trent Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts early in the season, the Browns turned to a combination of Chris Ogbonnaya, Edwin Baker and Willis McGahee's corpse to move the ball on the ground.

Should the Cleveland Browns actively pursue Knowshon Moreno?

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Should the Cleveland Browns actively pursue Knowshon Moreno?

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The end result, shockingly, was the NFL's 27th-ranked ground game.

The shock is that it wasn't worse than 27th.

The Browns are in a position to make significant strides quickly in 2014. In addition to possessing five picks in the first three rounds of May's draft, the Browns also have over $45 million in cap space, according to Joel Corry of CBS Sports.

For the right price, Moreno would at the very least take some of the impetus of the Cleveland front office to draft a running back early. They could instead wait a bit, and then pair Moreno with a mid-round option such as Charles Sims of West Virginia or Arizona State's Marion Grice.

Of course, that's a reasonable course of action and we're talking about the Browns, so moving on.

Oakland Raiders

Speaking of reasonable courses of action, it may not have generated much in the way of short-term results, but Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie has been immersed in one since taking the reins for the silver and black.

Over the past two seasons, McKenzie has engaged in a Sherman-esque march through Oakland's roster, ridding the team of the bloated contracts that marked the end of the Al Davis era with the Raiders.

Now, the team is awash in cap space.

Graph Designed by Author

Cap Data courtesy of overthecap.com

No team in the NFL has as much wiggle room entering free agency as the Raiders. As it just so happens, the team also has a huge hole at running back.

Oakland Raiders Running Backs 2013

Player

Att.

Yards

Avg.

TD

Rashad Jennings

163

733

4.5

6

Darren McFadden

114

379

3.3

5

Marcel Reece

46

218

4.7

2

Per Raiders' Website

After an injury-filled mess of a tenure with the Raiders, Darren McFadden is set to hit free agency, and there are rumblings McFadden could be headed for a Queen City reunion with Hue Jackson:

In Oakland, Jackson was only coach to get steady production out of Darren McFadden and DHB. McFadden in particular should look at Cincinnati

Whatever the reason, Jones-Drew backs into free agency this year coming off two of the worst seasons of his career. The 28-year-old told the NFL Network's "Around the League" (via Dan Hanzus) that he'd like to return in 2014, but Jones-Drew also admitted that might not be in the cards.

For me, that's where I started at. I always want to finish there. I don't know if they feel the same way I do. We'll see; there's no hard feelings. I enjoyed my career there up to this point. If I'm able to finish, that'd be awesome. If not, there will be another opportunity somewhere else and be able to get somewhere to play and enjoy that experience there.

Jones-Drew may be the best running back the Jaguars have ever had, but the harsh truth is he isn't the player he used to be.

Which team is the best fit for Knowshon Moreno?

Cleveland Browns

Oakland Raiders

Jacksonville Jaguars

Other (explain below)

It makes no sense for rebuilding teams to hang on to aging and/or declining players. Swapping that player out with a younger Moreno, on the other hand, makes a fair bit more.

Granted, any of these destinations would be something of a bittersweet landing spot for Moreno. Yes, a big payday would be nice, but going from the Super Bowl to the cellar?

Not so much.

However, such is life in the National Football League, and when it comes to the combination of a need at the running back spot and the cheddar with which to fill it, the Jaguars, Raiders and Browns make the most sense as suitors for Knowshon Moreno.

Better get that ring Sunday, young man. Otherwise, you may be waiting for a while.